Category Archives: Country

The Trounson Kauri Forest and Rawene Ferry – Mar 06

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The South to North Tractor trek at Rawene Ferry

Today there was to be a lot less driving. Our intention was to stay at the DOC site at Raetea.

First we visited the Trounson Kauri Forest to walk through it in the daylight, even seeing & hearing a Weta insect. The trees are magnificent. We then headed North to pass through the Waipoua forest. This is another Kauri forest which had been logged years ago, leaving the larger trees intact. The large ones were too large to cut down with axe and transport. As we had already walked through the trees we did not stop at Waipoua. The road was very bendy and very hilly. The bijoux van handles like a car, so easy to do. On the last of an uphill stretch we came across a procession of old tractors, Land Rovers and Jeeps raising money for the hospice movement. The were on the final stretch of driving from the South of the South Island to the tip of the North Island. We saw them several times today.

We stopped off at the Arai-te-uru recreation reserve where there are good views of Dunes and the village of Omapere.  We then had to pass the tractors again as we headed inland. We headed on to see some scenic boulders in the sea. Didn’t realise these had to be seen at low tide, which it wasn’t. So, on to Rawene to catch a ferry. Here the tractors caught up with us and we crossed together.

Next we were going to stop at our campsite in Raetea Forest. First we went wrong, google forgot to tell us to turn off, so a 20km re-track. Then we found the road was closed, this looked like a huge  diversion, going back over the road we had re-tracked!  But the Blasdale instinct is to ignore closed roads and continue. Which we did (well, we asked someone and they said it would be open for an hour). Yes it was open, they were resurfacing. We drove over hot steaming newley laid tarmac, ie newly “sealed”.  The road was a lovely twisty dirt track road through the forest going up to a summit and down again. The cambers on the road allowed for high speed corners.

We reached our destination, only to find the site closed for winter!

Motored on to Kaitaia, filled up with fuel and then headed to a Top 10 on the Kariari Peninsular. Not such a nicely situated site as before, and the wifi was down.

Heavy rain for a few minutes just as Rosemary finished washing up.

Picking Up the Camper – Mar 05

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Gibbs Farm, Sculpture Park

Morning and off to pick up the campervan. We were not at all sure what was the best way to the van hire was. Use the airport bus back to the terminal and then phone for the free transfer, or use the buses? Eventually tried Uber. It’s built into Google maps now. All I had to do was verify my phone number, and then ask for a taxi. Payment was automatically taken from my google pay account. It worked so well, by the time I pressed “Make Booking”, the response came back with the registration of the car, and there it was already sitting outside the hotel. We loaded up and off we went. Our driver had come over from Iran 12 years ago.

Checked in at the van hire and we soon had our very bijoux campervan ready to go. The first stop was the Pick ‘n Pack, a warehouse style supermarket. Bought a small starter pack of food and beer which should see us going for a few days. We were then on the highway at around 12 for our first day of the camper van aka Luxury Sleeper.

Our campervan is deemed a Freedom Camping Certified (FCC) “luxury sleeper”. FCC means it has a toilet (a porta potty), and management of waste water from a v bijoux sink. The toilet takes up a massive amount of space which could be more usefully utilised as storage, but no matter. Once the bed is down, you can do sod all; no access to porta potty, “fridge” (cool box running off the car’s electrics), sink nor anything packed. You can merely sit in the driver’s and passenger seats. You cannot stand up anywhere. Bijoux is the apt word. Rather different from our VW campervan. You can, of course, still lose any number of items at the drop of a hat.

We were heading to Trounson Park. My initial intention was to stay on the DOC site there. However, we changed to stay at the Kauri Coast Top 10 in the Park because we needed to fill the van’s water system. It is never clear whether this is possible at DOC sites and potentially we had three DOC sites in a row. Going to the Top 10 also had benefits of booking a night walk of the Kauri forest with the possibility of seeing a Kiwi in the wild.

On the way, we drove past the sculpture park at Gibbs Farm. Unfortunately, it is hardly ever open, and you have to book in advance. But a road-side stop was worthwhile because some of the huge sculptures were visible. They are immense and stand out on the skyline. Strutting around were giraffe, bison & emus.

A short excursion to the Piroa Falls. Neatly signposted with distance and time, as all NZ sites seem to be. R saw a flower which she rather liked and therefore I had to photograph. (No idea why she can’t like plants which are more accessible.)

We drove and checked into the Top 10 at Kauri Coast, we even registered because it gives a discount on its sites and many extras. We’ll probably be staying at a few more Top 10s on our way, so it seemed worthwhile to register. The down side of these sites is that they are expensive and provide facilities we probably won’t use. Never mind we will make up for this with the cheaper DOC sites.

The camp site was lovely, we were sited on a field with three other campers. Even if it were full, the pitches were a reasonable size so you could sit outside with your tables and chairs. Nearby, there were even our own pet glow worms. The NZ variety are fly larva not beetle larva as our’s.

The forest walk was very worthwhile. Our guide out front had a red light & we trooped behind, hanging back and changing to the end of the crocodile at intervals. Kiwis are nocturnal, hence the night walk. The female lays one huge egg in her burrow & the male incubates it. Sometimes a second is added. They are not considered to be good parents. A Possum was seen. It walked towards us in the dark, illuminated by the red light, showing no fear. It unfortunately looked cute, much to the fury of our guide who said they were “squashums”.

Kiwis remained aloof and only one was spotted at the end of the walk as we entered a mown patch of grass near the exit. I saw it, but Rosemary didn’t as she, silly woman, was looking towards the undergrowth. The glimpse I had was fleeting and lasted a couple of seconds as the bird legged it over to the bush.

The walk also showed us the Giant Kauri trees, and explained about how some split and you have two trees on the same root system, always with one being smaller. We also saw a Kauri where two trees had joined. Unfortunately, the trees are threatened with a fungal disease. We had to clean our shoes with a fungicide on entry and exit to the forest.

R had been ecstatic over NZ flora on our journey so far. A walk in the forest even at night underlined her enthusiasm.

Auckland and Mount Eden – Mar 04

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Slept until 6 today, so jetlag must be over now. Breakfast was again at Remedy, where I added a side dish of bacon to my platter. Chatted with a guy who had come out from England, his wife was due to meet him for the rest of March. In the last two weeks he had been touring the island on a motor bike, a long time dream of his.

We then set off to Mount Eden, walking all the way, first walking up Queen’s Street. We walked through different areas, some not so nice. They all though showed one thing, the New Zealanders love to eat out. I can’t say I have ever seen so many restaurants in a city.

We reached Mount Eden and walked to the top. Here there are fabulous views around the summit. Of course, you can see downtown Auckland and the tower. There are views of the islands to the East and in the far distance Coromandel. Looking South there is the airport.

While walking up and down Mount Eden we saw some large birds which were later identified as Tuis. The identification was provided to us by a lady at the bus stop who also named the birds, walking in the verge opposite, as Indian Mynas.

Definity a thirst had set in, so we stopped at the Occidental for a beer. Poor choice Stella. There is not much good on offer beer-wise here. So now on for some lunch at Giapo, a very posh ice cream parlour. Take a look at the creations R and I ate. These were fairly conservative compared to others we saw being eaten.

We continued on to the Britomart which has a number of shops and bars, all built over the Auckland subway station. Now onto the Food Truck, next to the Lord of the Fries for a beer. Improvement, but $19 for two small beers seems rather high.

Tonight, neither of us were hungry, so bought a couple of tarts to have in our room, although R’s appeared to be frozen, so she had to wait for a bit.

Auckland and Devonport – Mar 03

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Slept a little bit better tonight but was still awake at 4 in the morning. Today was going to be a dry day, so the plan was breakfast at Remedy and then to use the Auckland Explorer bus to take us to several of the sites in Auckland, including a ferry trip to Devonport.

This started well, we walked to Remedy, tables were available. We ordered coffee and the breakfast platter. The breakfast platter consists of muesli, yogurt & fruit in a glass, and toasted sour dough bread with refried beans, avocado and sausage. This went down a treat and we decided we would do the same the next day.

We walked across the road and waited for the bus. We waited and waited, other buses came and went. I decided to check the website and saw the news. One half of the service was cancelled for the day and the other half was curtailed because of some event which was occurring on the route.

R and I decided not to wait for the bus instead back walking down to the Ferry terminus where we bought tickets to Devonport. The trip to Devonport is quick and fast. It takes about 10 minutes. Once there we headed towards the North Point, walking along the coast road, admiring some nice houses. R, apparently, fancies a veranda.

At North Head on the road is a Naval Museum on Torpedo Bay with free entry. The bay is named Torpedo because of the torpedos kept there in the 1800s during the Russian expansionism of the period. The museum is definitely worth a visit, and a friendly older volunteer custodian explained to us the history of the location, the fortifications and the torpedo boats which guarded Auckland in the 1840s. The museum also had information about the New Zealand navy during the 1st and 2nd world wars detailing the battles which New Zealanders were involved with.

Our museum custodian saw us again and mentioned Brexit. He just could not understand why we were doing what we were doing. Then he compared Brexit with the referendum on the New Zealand flag saying that the older generation had a nostalgia for the ‘good old days’!

After the museum we headed up North Head hill to see the old guns which protected the channel. The big guns had tunnels underneath which was used to house ammunition and personnel. We were able to walk through these and appear underneath the big gun.

On the paths around the head we came across a White-Faced Heron. This bird like most of the wild birds we have seen in New Zealand was unafraid of us. It only took avoiding action when I was within 2 meters.

Onwards and downwards to Cheltenham Beach, apparently the best kept secret beach of Auckland, as you can see from the pictures, a kite surfing heaven. Back now to the harbour to catch the ferry back, though were tempted by the bar (The Platter) where we had a couple of beers to refresh us.

In the evening we went out for dinner at a Thai restaurant called the Grasshopper.

 

 

Auckland – our arrival and a day of orientation – Mar 02

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Having checked into our hotel, showered, changed and wondered why so much furniture in such a small room (even though we were told it was an upgrade). Was almost impossible to open the cases, and why have the chairs facing the bed and not the huge TV? (47”, I measured it using (one of) Rosemary’s tape measures. (Don’t worry, I shall be quizzing her later (when I have built up some courage) as to why she has one, let alone multiples.) Looking at the fire-exit plan, it seems to us that most of the rooms on our floor can’t have a window, while we have three, so perhaps that’s our upgrade. Rosemary hates the bathroom, while I think it neat. No door into it only a sliding door inside which is shared between the toilet & the shower. She really hates the sink, a basin type installation perched on a shelf with mirrors at odd angles and not one opposite it.

We ate breakfast in the hotel, expensive, but filling. Didn’t eat much else for the rest of the day.  A walk around the city orientating ourselves. Down to the ferry port then back up into town. Much building going on. Stopped for coffee at the Remedy on Wellesley Street, as recommended by my South Island dwelling brother. Strange little café, complete with a book-exchange service, but we decided it would be worthwhile eating breakfast there the next day. While sitting there we watched people jump off the Sky Tower. Non-bungee jumping but some type of free fall. I said “ooow!”, R said “oh”, in a rather dull tone.

We walked up to Albert Park being the nearest bit of green to us. Seemed to be Auckland University orientation week (freshers). There were all the usual stalls advertising societies. No idea why some of the stall-holders bothered to talk to us oldies, but possibly they were wondering why we were looking at them. The park contained some strange trees with huge roots, Google suggests Ficus Tree, and fir-type trees which had parasitic plants growing on them.

Another beer, this time at The Occidental.

We went walking again along the harbour, but this time came across the Volvo Ocean Race. This is an around the world race stopping at various ports (Cardiff in May/June).  The boats had arrived in Auckland a couple of days before. They were all hauled out onto one of the docks & were being worked on. We walked around a tent showing a full-size half section through one of them. The toilet was very small looking more like a sink. Plenty of Volvo cars, trucks and diggers were on display. One Volvo car chap complimented me on my Pink Floyd type t-shirt and reminisced on where he had seen them.

Further along the docks were the really expensive, huge motor boats. Many were being refitted, I have never seen so large fluffy fenders to stop the glossy paintwork being damaged. Cables going on board were placed over taped down cardboard to stop the fresh paint from chaffing. The superstructures were enclosed in shrink wrapped plastic. All the fitters were walking around barefoot, so as not to damage the decks.

Nearby was the silo park which even had a viewing platform. Not sure if all the silos were in use. Would love to be in Auckland next week when an art installation opens nearby, and the platform would come into use.

By the by, the pedestrian crossings squawk and then put-put-put as the walking green man lights up. Could not understand it the first time we encountered it.

There was an exhibition of owls, these large art pieces where scattered through the city. Rather like the cows in Edinburgh a few years ago. One owl by the artist Weilun Ha had the following information.

Kintsukuroi is the name of the art of repairing pottery with gold. It treats breakage and repair as part of the history of the object, rather than something to disguise and be ashamed. Embracing the flaw of imperfections in life itself and coming back stronger in the weaknesses. This is the metaphor for porcelain patters reflecting that life is beautiful and fragile.

Number of homeless on the streets.

I managed a small quiche from a bakery for supper, but R not interested in eating anything.

The day ended early as tiredness crept up on us, and in bed by 8.00pm. Like any city on a Friday night, the revellers were still at it at 4am.

 

Leaving for New Zealand – Feb 28

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Up early (5.30) to be picked up shortly after 6.00 by a very kind Neil for the trip to Lewknor on the M40 (Rosemary says is it off the M40) to catch the Oxford/Heathrow bus. Bitterly cold when we left, but no snow, although the drive to Lewknor did see a short snow drizzle. Arrived at the bus stop at about 6.40 in plenty of time for the scheduled 7.04 service. As we unloaded the bags, the late running 6.34 service appeared. We hopped on this bus and paid our fares. Good premonition for the holiday. We had not reserved seats because the closing time for booking these is 36 hours before the service runs. Need not have worried about booking, the bus was pretty empty.

The drive to Heathrow should have been quick, but for a couple of accidents, one before High Wycombe, and the other just after the M25 junction. M25 was empty. We were checking in at 8.00 for our flight, four hours before departure, this runs totally counter to my ethos. Now we have hours of boring hours sitting around waiting and drinking coffee from Café Nero. Maybe some harder stuff later.

Nope nothing harder, Qantus is pretty stingy with the wine and beers. Managed Bladerunner 2049 (again), Alien Covenant (rated 3-screamer, the last scream disturbed my fellow passengers) and Kingsman – Golden Circle. (Sorry Ravi, that glamping does not look like Love Fields. LF does not have beefy security guards, it is much more laid back.) There was also a slight incident opening a packet of crisps for Rosemary. (Did not expect to be showered by the contents when I banged open the inflated packet.) Wait in Dubai to re-board the aircraft. The long section to Melbourne is about to start. One hint for those flying Qantus in cattle class: ignore the flight attendants when they come around offering coffee, tea and soft drinks, demand the hard stuff.

Twelve hours later we arrived in Melbourne and had a drink of beer in the bar, before joining a 737 to Auckland.  Arrived in Auckland at 5.00 am. In the interests of eco-security, Rosemary had her walking boots whisked of her feet and soles washed. She was rather mortified by the experience. I merely had to walk over a disinfectant impregnated mat.

Caught the Sky Bus into Auckland city where we checked into the pre-booked Grand Windsor Hotel. Rather too smart for us. They allocated a room for us.  Prince of Wales Feathers everywhere, all to do with Duke & Duchess of Windsor, so a picture of jewellery in our room. I am going to ban excess cushions. We showered and went for breakfast.

France day 22 – Luxémont-et-Villotte

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Today was meant to be a cloudy day with a bit of sun.  Give me more of these days, it turned out very well.  We decided we would take Van the Van our for a ride to Lake Der.  This is an artificial lake which takes the winter flood water from the river Marne and stores it until the Summer when IT is slowly released back into the river.  The River Marne is a tributary to the river Seine, and joins the Seine where it enters Paris at Ivry-sur- Seine.  This lake and other control mechanisms were built to control flooding of I assume Paris which occurred several times in the 20th century.

Lake Der is now a habitat for birds and there’s also a place for water sports.  We were trying to locate places where we could stop and view birds.  It seemed difficult, all car parks were limited to 2 meters high vehicles, whereas we are a little higher.  The alternative were the Aires, but they were all gate controlled and thus needed to be paid for.  We drove around and were about to give up when we saw a road that allowed us on to the top of the dyke.  At least we could now see the mud flats and the hundreds of birds feeding.  We drove slowly along.  Grabbed a few pictures, but the feeding grounds were too far away for a decent picture.  The lake is at a low point at this time of year because the water is being let out for the winter floods. 

At the end of the road we were back at the parking.  Stopped and decided to check the Aires for the prices.  Was free during the day.  Hurrah, so parked and walked to a nearby hide.  We spent a while watching the birds. 

Now we tried to find a restaurant for lunch.  Nearby, closed, must be Monday.  Another place located, but Google took us down the N road, and there was no way off.  Gave up and went to Leclerc and bought some bread and pain au raisins.

Nice picnic late lunch at campsite, and then a walk down to the Etang.  We walked around it, seeing the work which was in progress.  The place was rather devoid of birds.  There was excitement when we heard a snort and splosh as we walked up to some reeds.  There were tracks in the grass and down the bank.  Some mammal which we never saw, I expect it may be a coypu.  

Back at campsite consumed another bottle of Vouvray and then ate supper, emergency rations of lentils and tuna.  Able to sit out later as warmer in the evening with the protective lay of cloud.  Fun watching one mobilehome moving around trying to connect to the satellite TV.

Tomorrow we are off back home.

France day 21 – Luxémont-et-Villotte

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The night had been chilly, with heavy dew in the morning.  Breakfast of chocolate pastries and coffee.  Lovely sunny day.  We wanted to walk to the Etang available for campers.  So off we set on the short 1K walk.  As we crossed the canal we saw the campsite owner’s wife, dog and another woman on the towpath.  One woman was sitting on the ground and R became a concerned citizen.  So we walked along the canal to investigate, our pretext being to look at the lock gates further on.  The woman on the ground was an artist drawing the canal and bridge, madam was just there chatting to her.  We continued to the lock gates.  They were automatic hydraulically operated gates, much wider than UK locks.  Like the railways, British canals were built on the cheap and are smaller than the continental ones. 

We turned right here and headed out into the country with the intention of doing another right hand turn to get as to the target Etang.  The tarmac road we were on was by far the worst road we had encountered in France.  It still was far superior to most of the country lanes in Buckinghamshire!  After walking across a stream and through a wood we were into open country, huge fields going on for miles.  Next, we came across a marked Etang (on the map) on the left advertised as Carp fishing holidays.  There were some fishermen, and they were English.  On the right with no mention of an Etang on the map, was another stretch of water.  Possibly a newer flooded gravel pit, all fenced off with permission for nothing including building.  It though had one swan.  Here we turned right along gravel road heading for our Etang, passing another Etang very overgrown around the edges, but with three swans.

We came to our Etang, all fenced off, so we walked along the side of it towards our campsite.  We then came across the entrance.  There seemed to be much redevelopment work going on.  This Etang was for the campers, and allowed fishing, bathing, walking etc.  The lake now seemed recently to have been divided into two and had a stoned beach created.  We left, walked back to the campsite.

The afternoon was spent eating, Sunday lunch of pork.  Alas not grilled as we were only on a 6 amp supply, but more stewed on the gas with beans and tomatoes.  We spent the afternoon lazing and reading, then eating a cheese sandwich for supper.  During the afternoon we both were amazed at the number of blackbirds inhabiting the hedges of the campsite.  Not only blackbirds, but woodpeckers, who alas flew away as soon as a glass lens was produced.

Again, the birds provided a musical accompaniment as we ate. Once it was night, the bats and owls arrived.

The village has a pack of dogs somewhere, who decide to howl at irregular intervals.  Also, being Sunday night the lorry traffic on the distant N road picked up and we could hear a distant but constant sound of traffic through the night.

France day 20 – Luxémont-et-Villotte

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We packed up on a reasonable day with the sun attempting to dry the awning out.  The awning was, as usual, a sod to pack.  It is so heavy with the inflatable tubes which are also a pig to totally deflate.  Each time we take it down, the folded package seems larger than ever.  The awning is so difficult to manoeuvre, and you end up dragging it around on the ground making it dirtier and dirtier each time you erect and take it down.  Yes, I was beginning to lose it and wish I had never bought the blessed thing.  A sale on eBay I expect.

We set off in a northerly direction on the toll road toward Dijon and beyond.  Our aim was to reach a small campsite near to Vitry-le-Francois.  Google pulled us off the toll road early to take us on the N67 towards Chaumont.  An excellent choice by our silicon friend.

On the payage we tried to have lunch.  I had always considered French motorway cafes to be superior to our UK ones.  Not anymore.  The first attempt we could not find anywhere to park, except for some useless empty car parks on the other side of the motorway a good 10-minute walk away.  The signage was appalling as well.  The next attempt, at least the café was on the same side of the road, but again the signage was crap, and the place seemed full.  We ended up parking with many other cars in the lorry park.  Then the food, on one counter doing croque monsieurs and coffee, was one poor over-worked girl with a large queue.  Ended up buying iced Starbucks coffee and sandwich.  Christ, white square bread and it tasted sweet.  No sorry UK has it right, choice of foods and now we have M&S or Waitrose selling pretty good sandwiches / wraps / couscous / salads etc.  Sorry France you have lost the plot on convenience foods.

We made it to Vitry-le-Francois and went shopping in a Leclerc. Provisioned now for the next three days.

We drove to the campsite Camping Nature, in the village of Luxémont-et-Villotte, priced at  15 Euro for the night, small campsite.  No nudity, despite R’s initial thoughts on its name. No delineation of parking spaces, but nice green grass and very quiet.  There are five of us here for the night.  Looking forward to the walk to the Etang, and along the canal.  Fifteen kilometres away there is a large lake, built to alleviate the flooding of Paris.  It is meant to have some good bird viewing hides, so maybe Monday for that.

Tonight, we had a bottle of fizzy Vouvray, and the remains of yesterday’s meal (lardons with onion, pepper and tomatoes) with some cravats.   Tasted delicious.  For Carbohydrate some du pain, which I reckon was stale the moment I bought it. But after a quick heat through, it was fine.

Sitting in the quiet as the sun set, there was a raucous chorus of birds settling in a bamboo grove on the campsite.  This was shortly complimented with an aerial display by some bats. Not seen so many bats flying around like this for a while.

The facilities here look good, nice and clean tiles etc. Yet to test the temperature of the shower. R had already complained about the lack of loo seat and chilly water in the plate cleaning area. There though was hot water available in another large laundry sink nearby.  Problem solved.

Near the campsite are rows and rows of flashing red lights.  Are they a landing strip for UFOs?  Google maps show nothing.  Investigate tomorrow on our walk. (Turned out to be lights on wind turbines.)

France day 19 – Cormoranche-sur-Saone

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Another sunny day, Rosemary went off to pick up the bread, it was a baguette, small thing, should have ordered a flute.  Just can’t to get to grips with the varied sizes of French bread.  After breakfast walked up to reception to decide on where we could go for some sites.  We were Abbeyed out, so they were off the list.  I got the list down to three places, a Grand Place where there were outcrops of rock and archaeological stuff, a wine pace and some caves. 

Instead we had a quiet day, walked around the lake, watched the birds and studied the numerous fishermen who had set up camp for the day.  We admired the seemingly empty TGV trains on their way to Lyon and beyond.  We would soon have our HS2 passing nearby us.  Yes these are noisy, and where there is a curve there are screeching rails.  At least they seem to disappear for the French lunch, and don’t start until quite late in the morning and are gone quite early in the evening.  (I am writing this at 21.00 and have not heard a TGB for a while now.)  Ate lunch, read books, nosed at the other mobile homes and campers.

Found an intriguing 2006 Landrover Defender with awning and attached tent.  The tent and awning were in Landrover brown and green.  Transpired they had been to the island of Sardinia.

The Brits across the road in a bigger van were on their way possibly to Spain, but were considering apartments as they were almost the same price as a campsite.

We planned the next day as we were going to be on the move again, this time it was going to be towards Reims. Three campsites, one with horrendous reviews, mainly because people had been refused entry as they were too young, and the onsite mobile homes were in poor condition. Also reports of midges, it though was on a lake and recommended for bird watches.  The ACSI site was in a middle of a town, the guide book said it could be noisy in September because of the grape pickers.  It was next to a vinery.  A third site was called Camping Nature, R immediately thought this to be a reserve for nudists.  Looks OK to me and a relatively small site.  This is my next target, I think. 

The weather looks OK for the rest of our holiday!!